


Smile

by d0g-bless (d0gbless)



Series: A New Breed of Training [8]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Domestic, Domestic Fluff, F/M, Fluff, Mood Swings, Original Character(s), Post-Canon, Post-Series, Pregnancy, Pregnant Pidge, Unplanned Pregnancy, shidge and a dog, sonogram
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-16
Updated: 2018-02-16
Packaged: 2019-03-19 13:11:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,832
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13705164
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/d0gbless/pseuds/d0g-bless
Summary: In which Pidge goes in for a sonogram, Halley worries, and all Shiro wants to do is help.





	Smile

**Author's Note:**

> Tumblr user equalskiersten sent my shidge-and-a-dog tumblr an ask with the prompt "I hope they look like you," so here it is.

Pidge had assumed that her mid-pregnancy ultrasound would be enlightening. A beautiful moment between her and her unborn child (or children — for all she knew, she very well could be carrying twins or triplets) as she saw them wriggle around on a screen with a fuzzy image. She’d get to ask all sorts of questions and find the answers.

But as Pidge lay on her back, belly exposed and covered in goo, all she could think about was how badly she needed to pee. But the doctor had asked her to come in with a full bladder, so here she was, a sneeze or laugh away from pissing herself. Pidge wasn’t a religious person, but it spoke volumes that she was praying in Altean.

“Are you alright?” Dr. Nguyen asked. She looked like a fairly young doctor, perhaps in her early- to mid-thirties. She had a few smile lines and crow’s feet at the corner of her eyes, but she still looked younger than most of the other doctors Pidge had seen.

“Yeah,” Pidge squeaked. “Great.” She wrenched her gaze to the screen and tried to make out what it was she was looking at. Tried not to think about how that little creature was putting extra pressure and weight on her very full bladder. Shit, that wasn’t working.

“Have you felt any movement?” Dr. Nguyen made no eye contact with her patient. She focused on the screen as she glided a wand across Pidge’s stomach.

Pidge was grateful for the change of subject. “Movement?” Her forehead creased in thought. “I mean, I’ve felt these little bubbly sensations, but it’s not all that different from gas. And sometimes, it is gas.”

Dr. Nguyen nodded. “From the sound of things, you might’ve felt some very light kicks. Quickening.” Again, her eyes fixated on the screen. “It’s hard for a lot of first-time moms to tell the difference. If you don’t feel any kicks by the end of week 22, I want you to come back in.”

Her heart sank with dread. “Are they alright?”

“As far as I can tell, they look just fine: Ten fingers, ten toes, their internal organs are there, etcetera, etcetera. And they are wriggling around in there. Look.”

Pidge looked back to the screen. Sure enough, the fetus’ rough outline did move. What Pidge was certain was a hand moved to what might be a mouth.

“They’re sucking their thumb,” Dr. Nguyen explained. “Here, I’ll give you a more detailed look with the 3D ultrasound.” She left the wand where she’d last had it, then walked to the computer connected to the ultrasound machine. Pidge heard the doctor type in a few keyboard commands, and before she knew it, the image on the screen changed entirely.

Where there had first been a fuzzy black, white, and gray 2D image, there was now a 3D image of what was a baby’s face. Their eyes were closed, but as the doctor said, they sucked their thumb.

Pidge fought back tears, but the stupid buggers managed to push through her defenses. Quiznak, couldn’t she get through one day without crying? It was just a clearer image of a fetus. Her fetus. Nothing to cry about. But God, they were so tiny and cute. And hers. They were hers. “Can I take a picture? My husband couldn’t make it, but he would love to see this.”

Dr. Nguyen smiled. “I’m ahead of you. I’m printing out some pictures for you to take home as we speak.” She handed Pidge a towel. “I think everything looks good here. Do you have any questions for me?”

“Yes,” Pidge said as she scrubbed the gel off of her belly. “First, where’s the nearest bathroom?”

* * *

Halley pressed her nose against the window, as if doing so would let her pick up Peanut’s scent.

It didn’t.

She whined. Peanut was running late. Far too late. Where was she? Was she okay? Not even Metalpaw’s famous scratch behind the ear calmed her.

“You’re getting antsy, too, huh?” Shiro stroked the dog’s fur. “Me, too. But Pidge said she’d be here soon. We’ve got to trust her.” He chuckled. “I’ve got to trust her.”

Halley perked an ear up at the groaning of the garage door. Barking like mad, Halley bolted to the entrance door. Her tail thumped against the floor. Peanut, Peanut, Peanut! She barked again. Metalpaw, she’s here!

Shiro slipped past the excited dog and through the garage door’s interior entrance. The garage wasn’t exactly his territory. To be more precise, it was Pidge’s playground. All sorts of technology, old and new, alien and familiar, scattered around the place. On her oil- and sweat-slicked workbench sat Beezer scraps and an updated Rover prototype she hadn’t finished. Dust coated the robots. When was the last time he’d caught her working in here?

The most familiar equipment to him was the car he and Pidge shared: a sleek, black Honda Civic. As nice as it was, it was no Black Lion. It wasn’t fair to compare the two vehicles — doing so insulted his Lion. Still, Shiro was grateful to see it, and more importantly, the woman behind the wheel.

He approached the door on the driver’s side and started to open it, only for Pidge to slam it shut.

She rolled down the car window and said, “I’m not helpless. All I ask is for you to let me enjoy mobility while I still have it.”

Shiro threw up his hands in surrender. “Alright, alright.” He took a step back to watch Pidge — and to avoid getting hit by the car door as it swung open.

Pidge repositioned herself so she faced the opened door. She scooted along the seat until her feet touched the ground. _Here comes the hard part._ Pidge took a deep breath, then leaned forward. Ever so slowly, she forced herself forward and upward until she stood upright on both feet.

“Am I allowed to hold this door open for you?” Shiro asked.

“Of course. Why are you asking me?”

Shiro frowned a little. “Well, you didn’t want me to help you get out of the car, so I wasn’t sure if this—” he pushed the door open a crack— “counted as me helping you.”

“It doesn’t,” she said with an irritated huff. Pidge stepped inside, where Halley greeted her with a _boof!_ “Aw, hi, sweetie!” Pidge bent over to the best of her ability to pet the dog, but came up short. Ever since her belly had _really_ popped, reaching objects was a hassle. And now she was too big to even reach down to pet Halley. “Quiznak.” She slowly stood back up until her back was straight.

Pidge reached for the purse she’d brought with her to the doctor’s office, but it wasn’t there. She swore under her breath.

“Is something wrong?”

“Yeah, I left my purse in the car.” Pidge looked at Shiro expectantly.

After a moment of silence and Pidge staring at him, Shiro spoke. “What?”

“Aren’t you going to get it?”

“Um, okay?” Shiro, confused as ever about his pregnant wife’s needs and wants, entered the garage without further comment. He rummaged through the car, and sure enough, an oversized green satchel sat on the passenger’s seat.

When Shiro returned with the purse in hand, Pidge had wriggled one foot out of a shoe and now struggled with the other. He held out the purse, but she paid him no mind, too focused on removing that shoe.

“Hey—”

Pidge cut him off with a quick retort: “No, I don’t need help.”

Irritation fed Shiro’s rising temper, but he had to keep the beast in check. “I wasn’t asking about that,” he said, keeping his tone even. “I have your purse.” He wriggled it in front of her.

“Thanks.” Pidge snatched the offered purse out of his hand. “Actually, I do need some help.”

Shiro nodded. He knelt before her and peeled the shoe from her swollen foot. “There you go.”

Pidge mumbled her thanks. “Sorry.”

Her apology took Shiro by surprise. “Why are you sorry?”

“Being stubborn about needing help,” she replied. She glanced down to where she could normally see her feet. All she saw there now, other than her stomach, were her disgustingly fat toes. “I’m not used to asking for it, and I don’t like asking for it.”

Shiro rested his head on the swell of Pidge’s belly. He gazed up at her with soft gray eyes. “I kn— ow!”

Pidge couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

“They just kicked me in the chin!” Shiro exclaimed. “Unbelievable!” He met Pidge’s gaze, and then realized her laughter had turned into shaky little sobs. Tears streamed down her face. “Pidge?” He took her hand into his. “Hey, what’s the matter? Are you hurt?”

She shook her head. No. “It’s just — They kicked.” Pidge wiped a tear rolling down her cheek. “This is happening. Like, this is real.”

Confusion wrinkled Shiro’s forehead.

“There’s a living thing inside me that’s going to rely on me for everything, and it moved. It’s alive, and it’s real. The pictures from today. They are real, but they don’t look real.”

“Pictures?”

Pidge dug into her purse and handed Shiro a manilla folder. “Sorry, I forgot to tell you. The doctor printed out some of the sonograms for you.”

The folder shook in Shiro’s hands as he peeled it open. He pulled one photo out. “I…” Tears sprang to his eyes. “I didn’t know these were so detailed.”

Pidge’s red-rimmed eyes glimmered with warmth. While these emotions were new to her, explaining technology comforted her. Distracted her from everything. And right now, she needed that. “It’s a 3D sonogram. Normally you see in movies those shitty black and white fuzzy ones, right? As it turns out, 3D sonograms are those fuzzy ones taken from multiple angles to form a clearer picture. But it’s not perfect. I don’t think they look much like either of us.”

“God, I hope they’ll look like you. And be like you.”

Pidge sniffled. “Like me? You’re ridiculous. I just had a meltdown because the baby kicked. You want them to be like me?”

Shiro shot her an incredulous look. “Of course. You’re brilliant! An absolute genius! And you have the best smile in the world. All I want is for this baby to be healthy and happy and have your smile. You know, the one with the dimple when you smirk?”

The corners of Pidge’s lips twitched. “I think I might know that smile.” Her lips curled into that sly, stunning smile Shiro loved so much.

“Yeah, that’s the one,” he said. “And listen. You’re going to be a great mom. And I’m here to help you with anything.”

“Anything?” Her tone was dangerous. A hint that whatever she wanted was not to be trifled with.

Shiro swallowed. “I did say anything.”

“Think you could help me out of my clothes and into our bed?”

“Now _that_  I can do.”


End file.
